Page 12 of Until Death Parts Us (Dysfunctional)

CHAPTER TWELVE

QUIN

They’re about three miles west of the tent I went to, thinking I was going to find Kaspian.

I’m flying through the snow, the truck bouncing and rocking as I never take my foot from the gas pedal.

I glance at the phone to make sure he’s still there, then I look up and spot a beige tent behind a row of trees.

When I hit the brakes, the truck struggles to slow down in time. The bumper taps the trees, knocking snow free from the branches, and then I’m rushing out the door with my knife in hand, and duct tape in my jacket pocket.

As I’m nearing the front, which is facing toward the trees, I spot a small fire before turning and seeing someone emerge from the tent. His face is etched into a scowl of confusion, but then he sees me.

“Tim?” I question, sure I’m right, but uncaring if I’m wrong.

I lunge forward, the knife sliding right into the hollow of his throat. His eyes widen just as his lips part, blood bubbling between his teeth.

“What the fuck is—” a man says, coming to a stop when he sees the scene in front of him.

Maybe he’s Tim. But the one I already stabbed is now falling to his knees, hands clawing at his throat like he can save himself.

He takes a second to think, then he’s scrambling back into the tent. He dives forward just as I reach out and grab the hood of his sweater. It’s then that I see him. My Kaspian.

He’s stripped of his shirt and pants, a bleeding cut on his side and another on his thigh. I also see an angry, red mark on his stomach.

I yank the man back with force, making the tent walls shift when he flies into one.

“You fucking branded him.”

It’s not a question. It’s clear what he did. Did he think he could outdo my own brand? The one of my name scrawled across his chest?

I pounce on him, reaching for the tape in my pocket, knowing I need to make his death slow and painful.

His hand flies at me, and then I feel a sharp pain in my side.

“Fuck!” I roar, realizing he had grabbed a knife before I snatched him up.

He takes advantage of my momentary shock, shoving me off him and climbing on top of me. I kick at his legs, trying to take out his knees. I tighten my grip on my knife, but he grabs my arm, keeping me from being able to bend it.

I use my other arm to bring my elbow down on his head, but the jacket prevents it from being as effective as I want, so I ball up my fist and smash it against his temple. It’s my left hand, which has less force, but it bothers him enough to let go of my other hand briefly.

I stab the blade into his back before rolling us over where I continue to punch him in the face, over and over.

Kaspian is making noise, which is a good thing, but I’m aware I need to tend to him. I just have to secure this guy first.

When he finally loses his desire to fight, his face bloodied, I reach for the tape again. I secure his wrists first, then move to his legs. After putting a piece over his mouth, I move to Kaspian.

“I’m here.”

I pull at the duct tape that’s on his face, freeing the rag from his mouth.

“Quin.”

I quickly take off the dark scrap of material they have tied around his eyes. He blinks at me, eyes squinting against the lantern lights they have inside.

“You found me.”

I stare into his eyes. “Of course I did.”

He attempts to sit up, but hisses, face cringing with pain before he lies back down. I inspect his body and find he has another burn on the other side that I didn’t see at first.

My blood boils.

“How do you feel?”

“Pissed off,” he says through gritted teeth.

My lips quirk slightly. “Good.”

I look through every bag in the tent and find a water bottle and some relatively clean shirts. I rinse the cut on his torso and apply pressure with the black shirt before using some of the duct tape to secure it to his body.

“It’s gonna hurt like a bitch to get off, but I don’t have another choice.”

“It’s fine,” he grunts out.

“We’ll have to deal with the burns later.”

I look at the spot on his leg and wipe the blood dripping down his thigh. The wound isn’t too deep, which is good, considering the location.

“He stopped when he heard you approaching,” Kas says through pained breaths.

I cut into another shirt, creating a wide strip I can tie around his thigh.

I glance at the body to our right when he starts moaning, but the cut to my side is distracting. I remove my jacket and shirt, cussing while doing so.

“He stabbed you,” Kaspian says.

“Yeah, but I’m fine.”

“Are you? It’s a lot of blood.”

I grab the rest of the water and pour it over the wound before pressing the remainder of the shirt to it. “Can you hold this in place?” I ask.

He reaches up to do so, but I can tell he’s in pain, so I quickly tape the shirt to my body, glad we know to travel with first aid kits. We just have to make it to the cabin.

The man rouses a little more, writhing and wriggling in an attempt to free himself.

I glance at Kaspian. “I take it you want in on this.”

His eyes darken. “You’re fucking right I do.